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Top 5 from the Trenches: A Taste of the Exotic

 

tropical drink


Ok, so I’m not here to bash the tried and true Banana/Strawberry smoothie, or balk at a good old fashioned chocolate with cherries shake. BUT, from time to time, we all like to walk on the wild side, don’t we? 

 

We sometimes need to look outside the box to help keep us IN the box. What I offer to you today is the most exotic shake and smoothie recipes from “the trenches.” What you will see here is not for the faint hearted! Some of you will swoon at the exotic concoction of ingredients that will grace your blenders and others will say “no thanks” and move along. No matter how you feel on the matter, the truth is that The Gap gives us plenty of variety and to combat that we need to sometimes pull out the big guns. In addition, more and more studies are showing that using fruits AND veggies as often as possible can give us the utmost nutrition and help reduce all kinds of inflammation in our bodies which can lead to skin conditions, heart ailments and other health concerns.

Without further ado, I present to you A Taste of the (HMR) Exotic!

1.  Cucumber/Grape Spa Smoothie

  • 1 HMR Vanilla Shake
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 fresh, peeled cucumber cut into chunks (freeze first, if desired)
  • 1 cup of frozen red grapes
  • 1 packet of Splenda®
  • Blend and enjoy!


2.  Yam and Apple Shake (can be made hot or cold)

  • 1 HMR Vanilla Shake
  • 1 cup hot water (or cold water and ice)
  • Splash of soy or almond milk (for Phase 2 clients)
  • 1 yam or sweet potato cooked till tender (chopped)
  • 1 raw apple, cored, peeled and shaves or chopped finely
  • Dash of cinnamon/Splenda
  • Blend until smooth


3.  Kale and Strawberry Smoothie

  • 1 HMR Vanilla or Chocolate Shake
  • 1 cup water and ice
  • 1 bunch of kale (remove stalk and ribs)
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
  • Blend until smooth


4.  Kiwi, Pineapple and Spinach Smoothie

  • 1 HMR Vanilla or Chocolate Shake
  • 1 cup water and ice
  • 1 peeled and cut up kiwi
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh pineapple
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • Blend until smooth


5.  Pomegranate, Plum and Pear Shake – The Triple Im(P)erative Shake!

  • 1 HMR Vanilla Shake
  • 1 cup of water and lots of ice
  • Use ½ cup of pre-seeded pomegranate seeds (sold in containers in supermarkets)
  • Add very ripe plum and pears that have been peeled, cored and de-stoned
  • Blend until smooth


 

 

 

by jennyb on 06/04/2012 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Weight-Loss, HMR, Recipes, in the box

About the Author

jennyb

Jenny has been a health educator at HMR since 2002, helping patients build healthier lifestyles and lose weight. She has 3 little girls at home and uses all the skills she’s learned at HMR to be a role model to them while at the same time making living a healthy lifestyle lots of fun!

Comments (5) Post a comment
I made the Kale and Strawberry shake again but used FROZEN kale which I added first and then the frozen strawberries and i actually thought it was better than the raw Kale. Thanks for your comments everyone!
by jennyb on 06/19/2012
I tried the strawberry and kale smoothie this morning - delish!! Just make sure you put the kale in before the strawberries!
by HMRErin on 06/19/2012
I really enjoyed the unique combination of kale and strawberry flavors . I put one cup of Kale and one cup of frozen strawberries in the shake. It turned out to be thick and very delicious. I am excited to try more of these exotic shakes.
by EmilyMet on 06/19/2012
I can't wait to try cucumber/grape Spa Smoothie!
by HondurasBeauty on 06/14/2012
Great ideas! I just got Kale from my farm share last night and cant wait to try the Kale and Strawberry Shake. Love these new recipe ideas.
by KimG on 06/13/2012